


Lullaby

by BeeAnka



Series: Sing Me A Song Of Despair [16]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, Blood and Violence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 10:32:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13715820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeAnka/pseuds/BeeAnka
Summary: Mukuro takes care of Junko, and considers just how much her sister means to her.





	Lullaby

**Author's Note:**

> My gf drew a really cute Ikuzono hug: https://inacron.tumblr.com/post/170986566601
> 
> This chapter was extremely hard to write. In more ways than one. You should all probably read the super light-hearted Aoi side story I recently wrote afterwards! (I'm joking. Or am I?)
> 
> But seriously, there's some pretty heavy stuff this time, even moreso than usual. Despair sisters, you know? It's all very important though... anyway, I'll say nothing more!

* * *

 

_Walking back to the abandonded warehouse, or more specifically the large cardboard box Junko affectionately calls 'home', Mukuro sighs._

_Her backpack is depressingly empty. She's barely managed to get enough food for one person, much less two. She's not an awful thief or anything, but it's too risky to try to steal too much at once, or to go to the same place too many times without buying anything. What if the shopkeepers start to realize something is wrong? She can't always pretend to be some adult's kid without them noticing anything. She hasn't managed to steal any money to actually buy food today either._

_She would have gone to more places to steal from, but it's getting late. She doesn't want to leave her sister alone for too long. She'd rather not leave her alone at all, but Junko's been feeling moody lately and refused to go with her today._

_Mukuro's stomach grumbles. She's eaten a little. Only the stuff she scavenged out of the garbage-- the rest she has is for her sister. Junko doesn't know that Mukuro rifles through the garbage to find food, but the sad truth is that they wouldn't have enough otherwise._

_It's something she keeps from Junko. While she feels bad for having secrets, she doesn't want Junko to get worried on her behalf. She doesn't really mind eating that stuff anyway. Well, she does, but not if it means her sister has enough food for herself._

_It's hard enough for Mukuro to refuse her sister food when she asks for more. Rationing their food makes sense, she knows that, but that doesn't make it any easier when Junko starts crying and chanting 'I hate you' over and over. She tries not to be hurt too much by that though, and she always gets an apology not much later too._

_Junko tends to get mad at herself for crying like this more than anything. Says something about being hungry giving her despair, and therefore being a good thing. Mukuro doesn't really understand what she means. She doesn't really get the whole Despair Sisters thing her sister brings up sometimes either, but doesn't want to question anything that makes Junko feel better._

_Mukuro scowls when the old warehouse comes into view. They were lucky to find a place where they could actually sleep inside, away from rain and wind, but there's always been something that bothered her about the place. It's probably just because Junko can't stand the foul stench in there, though thankfully her sister could at least see the logic in bad smell still being better than the alternative._

_It rained a lot recently too. It made all the smell even worse than usually. Not to mention there's a lot of mud in front of the entrance... Junko nearly fell into it one time. She never would have stopped complaining if it'd happened._

_She sighs in disgust as she enters the warehouse. It doesn't bother her as much as Junko, but the stench really_ is _foul._

_As soon as Mukuro begins climbing the stairs, she hears Junko crying out._

_For a moment, her entire body stills. Then, she runs up the stairs to the second floor as fast as she can, pulling her knife out of her pocket._

_When she barges into their room and sees the man holding Junko down, she feels something inside of her snap. For a moment, it's like time slows and all she can see is Junko flailing around wildly and the man's hand in her beautiful red hair, yanking on it violently._

_Before she realizes it, Mukuro's jumped on top of him and started stabbing. It feel as though there's nothing she has ever wanted more in her life than to hurt this person right now. This disgusting, rotten person stinking of alcohol and muttering gibberish._

_The man howls in pain. He scrambles to the side, throwing her off his back. When she gets back on her feet, knife clutched tightly between her fingers, the man seems to not have enough energy left to do anything but slowly crawl away._

_Mukuro moves to go after him, her mind only occupied with a single thought._

_He needs to die._

_She needs to kill this man. She has to._

_She wants to._

_"M-Mukuro-chan...?"_

_Upon hearing her little sister's shaky voice, Mukuro comes back to her senses. Walking backwards while never taking her eyes off the now groaning man, she slowly puts the knife back into her pocket. He deserves to die, yes. He does. But..._

_Junko is the top priority right now. And she shouldn't have to see something like this._

_Mukuro gently picks her trembling sister up, still not taking her eyes off the man. She walks backwards out of the room like this, after which she whirls around and runs as fast as she can._

_A couple of blocks later, Mukuro needs to take a breather for a moment. She carries Junko to a nearby bench and sits down. She's strong for her age, but Junko and her weigh about the same. Her arms are starting to hurt._

_"Junko-chan," she begins, unsure of what to even say. "Are... are you okay?"_

_There is no answer for a while. Junko merely stares ahead, at the people walking by who pay no attention to them, but Mukuro knows her sister isn't actually looking at them. Eventually though, Junko says something. "I wanna go to the park..."_

_"Yes, of course." Mukuro hastily agrees to the request, standing up again._

_They spend most of their time in the park. Junko likes to do all kinds of things there, but most of all she just enjoys sitting around and looking at everything. It's strange, really. Junko is usually too hyperactive to like calm, passive pastimes._

_When they arrive in the park, Mukuro's arms have started burning. Still, she soldiers on. Junko loves to be carried around like a princess. This is the least Mukuro can do for her sister right now._

_"Do you want me to push you on the swing?" Mukuro asks._

_"I wanna sit by the pond." Junko mumbles._

_Mukuro sits down on the grass close to the pond, gently putting Junko down on her lap. It's at this point she notices that there is blood splattered across her right hand and arm. She's gotten blood on her sister as well, though thankfully only the clothing. "Junko-chan," she says in what she hopes is a soothing tone. "I need to wash my hands. It'll only be a moment. Is that okay with you?" She really doesn't want to get even more blood on her sister._

_"The water's just two steps away." Junko looks down on the ground, scowling. "Don't treat me like a baby... I'm fine."_

_"I'm sorry," Mukuro says, and suppresses a wince. Junko hates being coddled. She should really know better, but after what just happened... "Um, just give me a few seconds."_

_Mukuro uses the pond to wash the blood off of her. The thought of her sister wearing clothes with blood on them makes her uneasy, but she doesn't want to point that out and cause her sister's mood to worsen. She'll just wash them the next time Junko changes clothes... hopefully, she won't notice the small amount of blood. Junko hates when her clothes are filthy._

_After dunking her knife into the pond as well, washing it as clean as it's going to get, Mukuro sits down next to Junko. There's a brief flash of fear that Junko would be gone by the time she turned around, but it's a ridiculous thought. She'd notice that. Sure enough, her sister is still sitting there on the grass._

_"Are you hungry?" Mukuro asks, putting her backpack on the ground._

_"No."_

_Mukuro hesitates. She doesn't want to push Junko, but she knows her sister hasn't eaten all day either. "I stole a candy bar for you. It's not much-"_

_"I said no!" Junko snaps._

_The silence afterwards is uncomfortable, and Mukuro knows she has to break it. Even if it's hard to ask, she needs to know. "Did..." She begins, swallowing. Junko was still wearing all her clothes and none of them appear to be damaged, but even so. She has to ask. "Did he... do anything?" She can't bring herself to say the actual words. She hopes Junko will understand what she means._

_Slowly, Junko's eyes meet Mukuro's, her usually lively blue eyes looking very cold right now. "If he did," Junko begins in a quiet, croaking voice. She hugs herself. "It's your fault."_

_Mukuro is too stunned to say a word in response. Guilt starts to build up inside of her like vomit._

_"Why weren't you there...?" Junko whispers. "You said you'd always protect me and... why weren't you there? Why weren't you there?!"_

_"Junko-chan... I... I'm so sorry-"_

_"You forgot to take my backpack when we left too! My plushies are still in there and... you wanna know?! What he did?! I won't tell you!" Junko snarls. "You should- should... y-you don't deserve to know!"_

_Mukuro gives her a desperate look. "Junko-chan, please. If he-"_

_"Shut up!" Junko shouts. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She covers her ears with her hands. "I don't wanna hear! Shut up!"_

_Mukuro nods at her sister, hoping she will stop yelling._

_Junko quiets down, lowering her hands. She stares down at her lap. "He didn't do anything," she mutters. "You came before he could. Do you feel better now?"_

_The question comes out as so bitter that Mukuro almost recoils, but it's mostly drowned out by the relief she feels. She tries not to show it, since it would probably make Junko even angrier. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asks. "You don't have to, but..."_

_"... He was there for a while," Junko mutters. "Mostly just tried talking to me. I could tell he was drunk and he kept... staring at me..." She starts trembling._

_Mukuro feels sick. She wishes she would have killed him. "You don't have to say more." She quickly assures her sister._

_"I was really scared... I-I thought he was gonna do something the entire time and- and... when he did, I tried to pull out the knife you gave me, b-but I dropped it and..." Junko chokes back a sob. "And you weren't there! It's your fault!" She shouts, punching Mukuro in the stomach._

_It catches her by utter surprise. Her sister has never hit her before. And when Junko pulls her fist back to punch her again, Mukuro doesn't stop her._

_The punches are all fairly weak, it's the anger and grief behind them that hurt Mukuro. Still, despite the pain, she allows Junko to hit her._

_Junko tackles her, pinning her wrists to the ground. "Why aren't you fighting back?!" She snarls. "You're treating me like a baby again. It really pisses me off!" Mukuro stiffles a gasp when one of Junko's hands yanks on her hair suddenly. "That guy tore out some of my hair, sis. It's only fair if I do the same, right?! You deserve it!"_

_"Yes." Mukuro agrees quietly._

_Whatever Junko may have expected to hear, it clearly wasn't that. "What?!"_

_"You can hurt me as much as you want." Mukuro gives her sister a shaky smile. "If it makes you feel better. You can do anything you want to me, Junko-chan. It's fine. That's what I'm here for."_

_The grip on her hair softens, as does the furious expression on Junko's face. "Stupid Mukuro," she mutters. "Why'd you have to say that?"_

_"I'm sorry for not being there." Mukuro whispers. "I'm so sorry. You're right. I deserve it."_

_Junko stays silent._

_"I'll kill that guy if you want me to, you know?" Mukuro tells her sister. "Just nod. That's all I need. I'll go back there and stab him until he's dead."_

_"Like you said you were gonna kill mom and dad if I asked you? Do you really think you could do that...?" Junko asks, almost shyly._

_"Yes." Mukuro answers. "Someone like that doesn't deserve to live. No one who hurts my baby sister deserves to live. I'll kill him, Junko-chan. It'll be easy. Just nod your head, and I will."_

_For a moment, Junko seems to think about it, but then she shakes her head. "No... I don't wanna go back there..."_

_"I can go on my own. I'll just drop you off at the internet café and-"_

_"No!" Junko wraps her arms around Mukuro, clinging to her tightly. "Don't leave me alone..."_  
  
_"Okay," Mukuro says, gently stroking her sister's back. "I won't. But if there's anything I can do, just tell me."_

_"It's comfy here." Junko mumbles, pressing her face into Mukuro's chest. "Can we sleep in the park tonight?"_

_"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Junko-chan." Mukuro answers, feeling uneasy at the prospect. A part of her hates herself for not just agreeing, but sleeping in the park doesn't seem very safe. "Maybe we should-"_

_"You won't leave, will you?" Junko interrupts, glancing up to her. "You'll protect me, right?"_

_"I'll protect you, but an adult could call the police or-"_

_"I don't care!" Junko snaps. "I wanna sleep here tonight!"_

_"Okay." Mukuro agrees, hoping to mollify Junko. She'll just have to stay awake the whole night to make sure nothing happens. She's a light sleeper, but she won't take the risk. They don't have an alarm like back at the warehouse here._

_They both lay like this on the grass until it gets dark. Luckily, it's warm enough that sleeping outside won't be a problem in that regard. A part of Mukuro hopes an adult will come along and tell them to quit loitering -- it means Mukuro would have to take them somewhere else, to a safer location. But no such luck._

_Hours pass._

_The night feels excruciatingly long._

_It's getting harder and harder to stay awake, but whenever Mukuro's eyes start to close, she pictures the look of terror on Junko's face while that man held her down. It's painful, but enough to keep her wide awake._

_Eventually though, the quiet noises in the park as well as Junko's soft breathing make the task impossible._

_Slowly, Mukuro dozes off._

_It feels as though only a few seconds have passed before her eyes open again. Disoriented, Mukuro looks around and immediately feels her heart stop._

_Junko is gone._

_"Junko-chan?!" Mukuro screams into the night. She reaches for her knife... and notices it's gone as well. For a moment, there is confusion. Until she realizes. "Junko-chan." She whispers, her eyes widening._

_Mukuro runs faster than she knew she could._

_For the first time in her life, she prays to any and all Gods that she's never cared for._

_Junko has to be alright. She has to be. If she isn't..._

_No, no, no. She is. She has to be. She's probably sitting in front of the warehouse, too scared to actually go inside. But..._

_What if she isn't?_

_The man is probably gone by now though, isn't he? Why would he stay around? But..._

_What if he was too weak to move?_

_The man could barely move when they'd left, but that doesn't mean there is no strength at all left in him. The stab wounds might have been too shallow. If Junko went too close to him... inevitably not able to bring herself to actually hurt another person like this... and he grabbed her and... and..._

_Mukuro runs faster._

_There is no one in front of the warehouse. No Junko._

_As soon as Mukuro is past the warehouse's front door, she screams again. "Junko-chan!"_

_There is no answer._

_"Please, no." Mukuro whispers. "Please, please, please." She runs up the stairs until she stands in front of the door to their room._

_There is a thudding sound coming from the other side. At this moment, she's certain that Junko is dead. She tried attacking the man and he beat her to death. Mukuro is certain this is what must have happened. She is consumed by hopelessness. She doesn't want to open that door. She doesn't want to see... doesn't want to see..._

_But there is another feeling. The same feeling she had earlier this day._

_That man needs to die. He needs to die, he needs to die, he needs to die._

_Suddenly, there's another noise coming from the other side of the door._

_She could never mistake Junko's voice for anything else. Nearly crying in relief and with her heart thumping wildly in her chest, Mukuro opens the door._

_"Jun-" Mukuro starts, but as soon as she sees the source of the thudding noise, she can't produce another sound._

_The first thing she notices is that there is something dark coating Junko's hands._

_The second thing is the wide smile on her sister's face. Some of the dark stuff is on it as well._

_The third thing is that she's on top of the man, bringing the knife in her hands down again and again._

_And Mukuro realizes the dark stuff is blood._

_There is so much blood. On Junko, on the man, around them._

_"Jun... Junko-chan...?"_

_Junko's body stills, her eyes meeting Mukuro's. They're glassy and unfocused, almost as if she's in a trance. The moonlight shining on her red hair makes it look like the same dark color as the blood. "Mukuro-chan," she murmurs, tears glistening on her cheeks. "I feel sick."_

_Mukuro is unable to move. She can't comprehend what she's seeing. Junko... her baby sister... she..._

_"I feel sick." Junko repeats. "I... I feel sick..."_

_The knife slips from Junko's hand and falls down on the floor, the sound it produces shattering the silence in the warehouse._

_"I feel sick, Mukuro-chan... I'm sick. Sick..."_

 

-

 

"I'm done."

The declaration is enough to rip Mukuro out of her thoughts, something she is thankful for.

She's dreamt about her past again, but she's usually able to repress her memories before classes start. And even though it's lunch break now, she still hasn't really managed.

Good thing she has to pay attention to something else now though. Mukuro glances into Someya's direction. The boy gets up from his chair and turns to Junko. "Are you listening, Enoshima?" He asks.

"Uh huh." Junko doesn't take her eyes off the ceiling she's been blankly staring at for the past few minutes.

"If you want me to do more work, it'll have to be after school starts again. I'll be too busy during the summer holidays."

"Don't worry about it."

"Alright then." Someya says, narrowing his eyes. He doesn't seem to know what to make of Junko's strange behavior. Mukuro has been feeling somewhat confused by Junko's behavior today herself. "See you hopefully never, then."

Junko doesn't spare him a glance even after that quip, merely muttering a faint: "Bye bye."

Before Someya steps past Mukuro, she pulls the stuffed animal -- a small, purple dolphin -- Sayaka gave to her yesterday out of her breast pocket and holds it out to him. "Here," she mumbles, glad to have thought of it in time. "For yesterday."

Someya gives her a bewildered look for a moment, before his features relax and he takes the dolphin . "You didn't have to give me anything in return," he says. "But thanks."

"Sayaka insisted on giving that to you for the cat." Mukuro explains. "She also asked me to tell you she's grateful for your gift, and that she will take good care of your cat."

"That's pretty cool of her." Someya cracks a smile. "Tell her I really like the dolphin. I'm going to take good care of it too." He puts it into the left pocket of his pants, the long nose peeking out slightly.

Mukuro nods. "Goodbye, Someya." She tells him.

"See you, Ikusaba." Someya answers and, after giving her one last searching look, leaves the room.

Not long after the door closes, Junko speaks up. "What was that about, sis?"

Mukuro turns to her sister, suddenly feeling guilty because of the stuffed animal thing. Junko technically didn't say anything about that, but was it really okay to accept that cat from Someya yesterday? "Someya gave me a stuffed animal yesterday," she begins. She is currently unable to tell her sister the truth about Sakakura, so this will have to do for now. "When he told me you two were done. Because of the bracelet." She pauses for a moment. "I'm really sorry if I shouldn't have accepted it. I-"

"Don't worry about it." Junko cuts her off, still staring at the ceiling. "Not like I said anything about that, so stop your stammering already."

Relieved, Mukuro nods. "Okay, Junko-chan. I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

Junko's behavior really is strange today. Mukuro expected a reprimand for the stuffed animal thing. Well, she can't blame her sister for spacing out. She's been doing that too... and not just today.

Today she's glad she isn't with her friends though. She's spacing out even more than usually, wouldn't be able to pay much attention to them, and she doesn't want them to think she doesn't care. Spacing out in the presence of her sister isn't usually advisable either, but seeing as Junko seems to mulling over something as well...

The guilt she's been carrying with her since yesterday doesn't help either.

Yesterday was simultaneously one of the best and worst days of her life. The sensation of being loved by Sayaka was... Mukuro couldn't express just how much it meant to her in a hundred years.

However, that made the guilt afterwards all the more unbearable. How could she just use Sayaka like this, to feel better about herself? It was despicable.

She tricked Sayaka into kissing her too. If Sayaka knew what she was like, the idol wouldn't ever want to kiss her.

And then she even brought up sex. How must that have felt for Sayaka? For her to have to assure an awkward prude like her that she wouldn't mind potentially not having sex, even though they aren't and will never be actual girlfriends to begin with?

Mukuro feels nothing but shame. How could she act like this? How pathetic can she get?

And it's not just because of Sayaka.

Mukuro still can't quite believe she lied to her sister like that. And especially after the things she's been thinking of today, a big part of her just wants to confess and accept her punishment already.

But...

She really doesn't want to. She doesn't even entirely understand why... yes, she's scared, but that usually wouldn't be enough to stop her. She just... she can't do it. She can't bring herself to.

She doesn't care about Sakakura in the least. So how come she can't? It must be because of Sayaka, that much is obvious, but... still...

She doesn't understand.

Can someone throw up from sheer guilt alone? If not, she wonders what she did this morning then...

She glances over to Junko, but her sister hasn't taken her eyes off the ceiling yet.

For some reason, all the silence is bothering Mukuro. Junko isn't always in a talkative mood, but she's never _this_ quiet. Something must be troubling her.

"Are you okay, Junko-chan?" Mukuro asks after some hesitation. She doesn't want to annoy Junko, but can't stop herself from expressing concern. "Are you bored? Do you want to do something?"

Junko is quiet for some time, seemingly in thought. Eventually, she says: "Sit down next to me, Mukuro-chan."

Mukuro obeys, carefully sitting down on Junko's right. Does her sister know about the lie? No, that's ridiculous... how would she? But still, Mukuro can't stop herself from being paranoid. "Is something wrong?" She asks.

Junko finally takes her eyes off the ceiling and glances at her. "Yesterday," she mutters. "I was trying to help you, you know?"

"Yes." Mukuro says, confused where Junko is going with this. "I'm sorry for being so sensitive-"

"Shut up." Junko snaps, but there is no real heat in her voice. "What I'm trying to say is... I'm..." She closes her mouth, expression sour. She sighs. "Ugh, my head hurts."

"It's one of your migraines?" Mukuro frowns. "Hold on a minute."

She takes one of the cloths for when Junko gets her migraines out of the nearby desk drawer and cools it in the bathroom. On her way back, she takes one of her sister's combs as well. She sits down next to Junko again, patting her lap with an encouraging smile.

Although grumbling incomprehensibly, Junko removes the ribbons and other accessories from her hair, letting it fall down. She lays her head in Mukuro's lap, eyes closed.

Gently brushing the hair out of Junko's face, Mukuro puts the damp cloth over her forehead.

Junko lets out an appreciative sigh. "I fucking despise these stupid headaches." She mutters.

"Do you have them a lot lately?" Mukuro asks. "Maybe it's gotten better."

"No, it hasn't."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Mukuro mumbles. She takes the comb and starts slowly and carefully going through Junko's hair. She hasn't treated one of her sister's migraines in a long time... and while she doesn't want Junko to suffer, there is a strange comfort in taking care of her like this. "Maybe Mikan-san could-"

"Forget about her." Junko immediately cuts her suggestion off. After a slight pause, she adds: "You're doing fine."

Mukuro smiles. She's glad she isn't disappointing her sister right now. "I'm the older sister," she says. "Taking care of you is what I do."

Junko's response is a noncommittal grunt.

For a while, there's a serene silence in the room, the only sounds being the faint brushing noises of the comb and Junko's breathing. Mukuro wishes things between Junko and her were like this more often, but that's just her own selfishness shining through.

After some hesitation -- trying to figure out whether it would annoy her sister or not -- Mukuro begins to hum softly. When Junko doesn't tell her to shut up, she starts doing it a bit more loudly.

Time passes. They're both too late for class, but Mukuro doesn't care. She briefly considers sending Sayaka a text message to explain their absence, but doesn't want to annoy Junko by doing that.

"Weird, isn't it?" Junko murmurs when Mukuro rests her voice from all the humming. "A soulless killing machine doesn't have any business, having such a pretty voice. They must've been drunk up there when they handed out talents that day."

"You're exaggerating. My voice isn't that pretty..." Mukuro argues, blushing.

"Being humble doesn't suit you, sis. Just go: 'Compliment acknowledged. Beep boop'. Or something like that." Junko snorts. "Doesn't Sayaka-chan get annoyed when she calls you pretty or something and you deny it? I'd be annoyed."

"I'm trying to just accept them lately, but I'm still working on it. I'm sorry if I annoyed you..."

"Whatever. Just hum for me some more."

Mukuro obeys. She's glad Junko never seemed to stop liking those old lullabies she sang and hummed for her back when they were younger. She has to smile slightly when thinking how on the odd occasion, their situations were reversed and Junko was the one humming or singing quietly.

It's depressing, but she can't imagine that happening nowadays. Well, it doesn't matter. The older sister is the one who's supposed to be looking after the younger sister, not the reverse.

"I made you feel awful yesterday, didn't I?"

Mukuro blinks, glancing down to her sister. "... Junko-chan?" She asks after some hesitation.

"Just answer the question." Junko orders, although her voice is lacking its usual sharpness.

"You just wanted me to feel despair." Mukuro mumbles. "I'm sorry, Junko-chan. I'm trying my best to learn it, but I'm not very good at it..."

"Yeah, you're horrible at it." Junko agrees. "... I guess I shouldn't have tried teaching you so much at once."

"It..." Mukuro begins uncertainly, wondering if she misheard. "It wasn't your fault. It's my fault for being so bad at despair. And you didn't say anything that was wrong anyway."

Junko opens her eyes. She gives Mukuro a long look, her face scrunching up, and she starts speaking quietly. "Yeah, but still. It's like getting pissed at a trainee seamstress for fucking up a wedding gown."

"It's my fault for not-"

"Will you just...!" Junko's look turns into a glare, before softening slightly again. "What I'm trying to say is I may have overdone it a bit yesterday. I'll try not to overwhelm your despairingly despairless mind with too much at once again. 'Kay?"

A part of Mukuro wants to agree, but another part is disappointed in herself. "Junko-chan," she says. "You shouldn't have to censor yourself for my sake."

"Ugh... just. Whatever. You're a real idiot, you know that?" Junko mutters, closing her eyes again. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore. Change the subject."

"Okay, um... when are we going to Europe?" Mukuro's been wondering that since Junko brought it up yesterday. She doesn't want to be separated for so long from Sayaka, but spending time alone with her sister is something she always craves.

"Exactly two weeks from now." Junko answers. "First photo shoot's in France. You can speak some French and not just sing it, right?"

"Yes."

"Idiot. You're supposed to say: _oui_."

" _Oui_."

Junko snorts, but it sounds suspiciously close to laughter. "Too late now, sis. Anyway, we'll stay there for a week or so. The shoot's in Lyon, but I wanna go to Paris too."

"Because you want to spit off the Eiffel Tower?" Mukuro asks.

"How the hell do you still remember that?" Junko's snort this time _is_ a laugh. "I said that, like, a decade ago."

"An older sister doesn't forget." Mukuro states. "Remember when you said you wanted to be a clown?"

"Wow. I should kill you for remembering that." Junko says flatly.

"And that one time you said you wanted to be a horse."

Junko groans. "Okay, enough. Anyway, where was I?"

"You want to go to Paris." Mukuro reminds her, unable to stop herself from being amused. She hasn't really teased her sister like this in a long time. She's glad Junko didn't get angry with her just now.

"Right, yeah. Afterwards we're going to England. To London..." Junko trails off. She opens her eyes, sporting a grin that looks too wide. "Remember London, sis?"

Mukuro feels cold all of a sudden. "Yes," she mumbles. "I do."

"It was freezing that day." Junko says cheerfully. "It even started snowing. Do you remember?"

"Yes."

"I've always liked snow," Junko continues. "It's too bad you fucked off to somewhere where there wasn't any, huh?"

"Junko-chan..." Mukuro feels the urge to apologize, but knows Junko doesn't want her to do that.

"What?" Junko asks sharply, her unnatural grin turning into a sour smile. "I've _forgiven_ you, haven't I?"

"That's what you said, but..." Junko's head suddenly feels heavy in her lap. "But it's okay if you haven't forgiven me."

"How _generous_ of you."

"I didn't mean it like that..."

"Sure hope you aren't gonna fuck off in the middle of our vacation this time. Would be a shame to lose the money I used on the plane tickets and whatever."

"I wouldn't do that." Mukuro mumbles. She smiles shakily down at her sister. "I promised to never leave you again, didn't I?"

Junko's eyes become glassy. "So what?" She says, almost whispers. "You also promised I'd always be the one who means the most to you. And now you..." Her eyes regain focus again, and she glares at Mukuro before sitting up.

"You mean everything in the world to me." Mukuro tells her.

Junko rests her head on her knees, hugging them at the same time. "What about Sayaka-chan, then?" She asks in a quiet voice, her one eye that's visible almost glinting.

"Sayaka is very important to me, but you're still my baby sister. You will always be the person who means the most to me." Mukuro promises.

There is a short silence after her declaration.

Junko stares at her. Then, she says the next four words like an accusation. "You sang for her."

Mukuro flinches. She doesn't know how Junko knows that, but actively denying it would be the worst idea imagineable. "... Yes," she mumbles. "I'm sorry if I wasn't allowed to do that, but you never said-"

"You were trying to hide it from me." Junko continues, her calm voice scaring Mukuro more than anything else. "It's something you'd obviously mention if I asked you about how Sayaka-chan's birthday went, but you didn't say anything. Why? Why did you hide it?"

"I..." Guilt floods Mukuro's entire body. "I just... I didn't want you to be mad..."

"You thought it'd make me mad and hid it anyway?" Junko asks, smiling coldly. "How sly, sis. Not sly enough to delete your search history about star festival songs though."

Mukuro tries to stop herself from shaking. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Junko looks through her phone all the time -- why didn't she think of deleting it?

She shouldn't have hid it to begin with though. And yesterday she lied to Junko too...

"I'm sorry," she says. "I wanted to give Sayaka something special. And I knew she wanted to hear me sing, but I didn't want to make you mad either. I just wanted to make Sayaka happy."

"Why do you care?" Junko whispers. "Why do you care about her happiness? She's something you use to make yourself happy, so why the hell do you _care_?!"

"... What do you mean?" Mukuro asks carefully. "Even if I use Sayaka, I still want her to be happy-"

"You're so stupid!" Junko snaps. "You know damn well she won't be happy by the end of this! Who're you trying to fool?!"

"But she can be happy until then." Mukuro argues. "I just... even if our relationship is doomed, I want to make her happy for as long as I can."

"Of course," Junko begins, a smile slowly making its way onto her face. "You could always just betray me. Then you and Sayaka-chan could be happy forever and ever."

"I would never do such a thing. That would mean you're the unhappy one." Mukuro knows her sister wants to feel despair, but surely not even Junko would want to be betrayed like this, by her own sister no less.

"Unhappy, huh?" Junko lets out a short, mirthless laugh. "So either way, someone's gonna get betrayed. Morton's fork is kinda poking you in the forehead, isn't it?"

"But," Mukuro murmurs, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. There was never a good time to bring it up yesterday, but maybe now... "What if no one had to be betrayed?"

Junko purses her lips. "What are you talking about?"

"What if..." Mukuro swallows. She needs to be careful about this. "What if there was a way to make you happy and spare Sayaka and-"

"Stop talking."

Mukuro obeys.

Junko inhales, giving her a long look before speaking. "Since you're still a stupid disappointment who doesn't understand despair, I'll forgive you just this once. But listen to me, Mukuro-chan..." She exhales, and her voice is laced with venom as she says the next words. "You're not like them. You're not... _normal_." Her eyes flash, and she seizes Mukuro's arm in a painful grip. "Is that what you want? Huh? Just holding hands with Sayaka-chan for the rest of your life? Be a _happy_ couple?"

"I... I..." Mukuro mumbles. Why does the question even matter? It won't happen anyway.

"Wake up already! You think Sayaka-chan would _want_ you? You think anyone normal would _ever_ want you?!" Junko scoffs. "Sayaka-chan may think she loves you, but that's because she doesn't truly know you. No one who actually got to know you could ever love you. You're a murderer. You're fucked in the head. You're..." Her grip on Mukuro's arm lessens somewhat. Junko's hand travels downwards until she intertwines their hands with each other. "You're like me," she murmurs softly, all the anger gone from her voice. "That's why we only have each other, Mukuro-chan. Do you understand?"

"Junko-chan..." The words should make her heart leap, but all Mukuro feels is pain. She's nothing but a spineless failure and a liar. She desperately wants to confess her guilt, but even now can't bring herself to. "I love you," she says instead. "I love you so much. And I... I'm sorry for being such a disappointment."

"Even if you're a stupid, useless disappointment of a sister..." Junko gently squeezes Mukuro's hand with hers. "You're still my sister. And we belong together. So you can go kiss your stupid Sayaka-chan, have fun with your stupid friends... but at the end of the day, you belong to me." She squeezes harder. " _With_ me."

Mukuro squeezes back. "Yes." She agrees, and while she isn't lying, her heart still isn't leaping like it should. Even though she's always yearning for scraps of affection from Junko... why aren't they making her happy right now?

She doesn't understand.

"I'm the only one, Mukuro-chan," Junko continues in a quiet voice. "I'm the only one who loves you for who you really are. I'm the only one who can. Your so-called friends? They would all hate you if they knew the truth. But me?" She smiles slightly. "I know exactly who you are. And even though you're such a disappointment... I wouldn't want you any other way. With those friends of yours you always have to hide your true self, but not with me. Never with me. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Mukuro answers tonelessly. Junko is right, after all. Isn't she? She has to be. There's no way any of her friends would accept someone like her if they knew.

Junko throws her arms around Mukuro, hugging her tightly. "Once Sayaka-chan breaks your heart and makes you despair, I'll be there for you," she murmurs into Mukuro's ear. "Maybe I'll even be able to teach you how to enjoy it."

"Thank you, Junko-chan." Mukuro weakly hugs her sister back. "I love you."

Junko buries her face in Mukuro's shoulder. "Love you too."

The words come out as muffled, but Mukuro's fluttering heart doesn't care. "Can I do anything for you?" She asks, having the almost desperate urge to make Junko feel better right now. "Just tell me. I will do anything. Anything to make you feel better."

"Really now?" Junko asks, pulling back from the hug. "You're gonna miss every class today, you know?"

"I don't care. You're the most important thing in the world."

"Never gets old, hearing that." Junko giggles. She considers something for a few seconds. "How about," she begins. "You'll just stay with me until you have to go to that swimming race, huh?"

"I can cancel that." Mukuro quickly assures her sister. "I wouldn't mind staying with you the entire day. I want to make you feel better."

Junko rolls her eyes. "I need some alone time too, y'know? I'm feeling generous today, so go ahead and have fun with your friends. You can go make out with Sayaka-chan afterwards too for all I care. I'm just gonna take a nap or something."

"If you're sure..." Mukuro says uncertainly.

"When am I not? Anyway, how about you..." Junko hums, then her face lights up. "Sing for me!"

Mukuro's usual protest is on her lips, but she fights her embarrassment down. Singing for Junko is the least she can do right now. "Okay," she mumbles. "I just need some time to prepare myself."

"Sure, sure. I don't just wanna hear one song too, y'know? I think seeing as I'm the precious baby sister, I deserve to hear more than Sayaka-chan heard. Don't you think? Unless you sang more than one song for her?"

"It was just one." Mukuro replies, smiling nervously in the face of Junko's carnivorous grin. "I will sing as many as you want me to."

"Good!" Junko gestures to the damp cloth she threw on the table. "Get me another one of those first though."

While cooling another cloth in the bathroom, Mukuro tries to think of something soothing to sing for her sister. Maybe her favorite lullaby? It's always been a safe bet.

When she sits back on the couch, Junko puts her head back into Mukuro's lap and closes her eyes, the new damp cloth on her forehead.

Having thought of a fitting song, Mukuro begins singing quietly.

_"Dodo, l'enfant do_

_L'enfant dormira bien vite._

_Dodo, l'enfant do,_

_L'enfant dormira bientôt."_

One time while they were in the library, Junko pointed the lullaby out to her. She had no idea what any of it meant, but apparently just liked how the letters looked together. Mukuro immediately proceeded to look up how to sing it for her sister, of course.

_"Une poule blanche,_

_Est là dans la grange._

_Qui va faire un petit coco,_

_Pour l'enfant qui va fair' dodo."_

That was a long time before she learned how to actually speak French, although it's not like she's fluent in it now. Even without knowing anything about the language though, she tried her hardest to research how to pronounce everything in the lullaby well. It wasn't easy, but she wanted it to be perfect for Junko.

_"Dodo, l'enfant do,_

_L'enfant dormira bien vite._

_Dodo, l'enfant do,_

_L'enfant dormira bientôt."_

Junko always loved hearing it. She found other things for Mukuro to sing as well, but that's the one she insisted on most of the time, especially whenever she was feeling bad about something.

_"Tout le monde est sage,_

_Dans le voisinage._

_Il est l'heure d'aller dormir,_

_Le sommeil va bientôt venir."_

Mukuro hums the song's melody some more after she's finished, until Junko opens her eyes.

"You didn't make the chicken noises." Junko complains, but the smile on her face makes it obvious she isn't actually bothered.

"I never made the chicken noises." Mukuro argues, returning the smile. "The lyrics I looked up in the internet didn't include those."

"The version I listened to had chicken noises. Also, I'm pretty sure it was longer!" Junko pouts. "Are you gonna sing another one for me, Mukuro-chan?"

"Of course." Mukuro agrees.

She sings some more lullabies she remembers, surprised at how many of them she can still sing competently after all these years. Singing so much eventually turns her voice sore -- she wonders how Sayaka deals with that -- and she quietly apologizes to her sister.

When there is no answer, she notices that Junko must have fallen asleep at some point. She wonders if it's weird that she enjoys watching her sister sleep. Junko just looks so peaceful when she does... it's nice to look at.

Mukuro carefully picks her sister up and carries her to her bed, laying her down gently. Although Junko isn't a light sleeper and usually isn't woken up by that, she stirrs when Mukuro pulls a blanket over her.

"Sis...?" Junko murmurs.

"You fell asleep, so I tucked you into bed." Mukuro replies, unable to stop herself from smiling. Junko is pretty cute when she's sleepy.

"Set... alarm for 3pm..."

Mukuro takes Junko's phone and does as ordered. "Anything else?" She asks.

There is a rather long pause. Right when Mukuro is convinced Junko's fallen asleep again, her sister speaks up again in a barely audible voice. "C'mere..."

"Of course." Mukuro says. Kicking off her shoes, she slips under the blanket and lays down next to Junko, their foreheads nearly touching.

Letting out a sleepy groan, Junko gazes at her with half-closed eyes. "Mukuro-chan..." She mumbles, draping her right leg over Mukuro's legs, pushing them closer together. "Cuddle..."

"Is that an order?" Mukuro teases, feeling brave enough to do so right now.

Junko whines. She slings her right arm around Mukuro's back. Letting out a soft giggle that doesn't suit her at all, Mukuro puts her left hand on Junko's back in return, scratching it gently. That gets an approving grunt out of her sister.

"Have a nice nap, Junko-chan." Mukuro kisses her sister on the forehead, earning another vaguely approving noise.

"Love you... Muku-chan..."

"I..." Mukuro blushes happily. Junko hasn't called her that in years. "I love you too, Junko-chan." She hesitates, before adding: "My princess."

"Princess..." A small, delighted smile forms on Junko's face. Then, however, it's gone from her face. She opens her eyes slightly again. "Hey, Mukuro-chan... y'know..."

"Yes?"

"I was messing with you yesterday..." Junko murmurs. "About not having fun with you... you're less boring than most people... I guess..."

Warmth spreads across Mukuro. "Junko-chan... do you mean it?"

"Uh huh..." Junko closes her eyes again. "Anyway... stroke my back more... your princess demands it..."

"Of course, my princess." Mukuro obliges.

Junko groans, pressing herself even more tightly to Mukuro. "You're such a good knight... princess... whatever..."

Mukuro snorts softly, having the urge to tease Junko some more, but can't bring herself to. Junko is really tired -- she shouldn't keep her awake any longer.

It doesn't take long until Junko has fallen asleep. Mukuro closes her eyes as well.

In her sister's warm embrace, she falls asleep quickly.

 

_-_

 

_For a long time, Mukuro can't think of what to say. She can't do anything but stare at her little sister, covered in blood._

_When Junko starts sobbing though, Mukuro finally regains her senses._

_"Junko-chan." She says her sister's name as gently as she is capable of. She walks up to Junko, who doesn't meet her eyes. Mukuro holds out her hand._

_Her own hand trembling, Junko reaches for it, although stopping at the last moment._

_Mukuro understands why. "It's okay," she says quietly, taking Junko's hand into hers. "I don't mind the blood, see? Let's get you cleaned up though, okay?"_

_Still not looking at her, Junko nods her head. Mukuro picks her up carefully, carrying her away from the man's corpse and to their cardboard box. She sets her down on the blanket there, wraps her up in it, and looks around._

_She picks up Junko's backpack nearby and slings it over her shoulder next to her own. Luckily, neither of them are very heavy. She takes the bloody knife off the floor, careful not to get any of it on her, and puts it in her backpack, then puts Junko's knife in her pocket. They'll never go back to this place ever again, which is why she wants to take everything important with her while she can._

_She doesn't know what to do with the bloody knife yet, but can't just leave it behind._

_When she has everything they need, she picks Junko up._

_She carries her sister outside the warehouse, where she sets her down again. "I'll get us to the internet café," Mukuro says, spotting some nearby mud. "I'll just tell them you fell into some mud. I'll get you cleaned up there, but first I need to hide the blood on me. Is that okay?"_

_Junko doesn't respond._

_Taking that as a yes, Mukuro starts putting mud on her and her clothes. It's disgusting, but necessary. Junko herself is covered with too much blood for it to work, and she can't bear to make her baby sister go through with something like this right now anyway._

_Once she thinks she's dirty enough, she picks her sister up again and starts walking. Away from the warehouse, or cardboard box, that's been their so-called home for the last few months._

_Away from the corpse._

_Mukuro's exhaustion nearly catches up to her on the walk to the internet café, but she keeps walking. Junko is counting on her. She needs to take care of her sister._

_When they arrive, she's glad to see the man working this night is someone they know._

_"Excuse me, Daisuke-san?" Mukuro asks immediately after entering. It's hard to sound properly meek right now, with her arms feeling like they're about to fall off, but she does her best nonetheless. "Can you please lock Junko-chan and me in the bathroom for a few minutes? Junko-chan fell into some mud and is really upset. I have to clean her up and don't want anyone else coming in."_

_"Oh, my." Daisuke says, his brows raising. He looks from the huddled form of her sister to her. "Did you fall in too, Mukuro-chan? I don't think the sink's going to cut it."_

_"Please, Daisuke-san." Mukuro doesn't even have to feign her desperation. "Junko-chan can't go to sleep like this. I just need-"_

_Daisuke holds up his hands in an allaying manner. "Whoa, hold on. I meant... here, just follow me."_

_Mukuro follows him. Daisuke leads them to one of the showers. He tells her to wait and disappears for a minute or so, after which he comes back with a couple of sponges, two big towels, and shampoo. He puts all of it in the shower room and walks back out._

_"There's enough warm water, I think." Daisuke says. "It sucks that our net café doesn't have baths, so this is the best I can give you."_

_"I..." Mukuro swallows, hoping he will agree to let her pay later. "I don't have any money with me..."_

_"It's fine. Just get Junko-chan and yourself cleaned up." He gives the huddled form of Junko a concerned look. "Oh my, she's really shaken up, isn't she? So are you. Hope you two feel better after a warm shower."_

_Mukuro stares at him. Is there really no catch? It's not the first time he's been nice to them, but it seems too good to be true. "Thank you, Daisuke-san." She tells him, deciding that maybe even Junko and her get some good luck once in a while. A part of her wants to bow, but her legs might give out at this point._

_"Do you have any clean clothes?"_

_"I have some in my backpack." Mukuro answers, wishing he would leave already._

_Daisuke nods. "Okay, good. Take as long as you need in there. Feel free to do your laundry too afterwards." He says, and takes off._

_Not wasting any time, Mukuro enters the shower room with Junko in her arms. She feels relief as she locks the door behind them. Safe, at last. She's so glad Daisuke wasn't suspicious about the way Junko is wrapped up in a blanket_

_Mukuro sets her sister down. "Junko-chan, can you take your clothes off yourself?" She asks._

_Her hands moving in a very slow manner, Junko does. Mukuro undresses as well._

_While Junko still undresses, Mukuro turns the water on in the booth, trying to get the right temperature. She puts the sponges and the shampoo in there, and turns around to see Junko fumbling with her shirt. She suppresses the urge to go help her -- she doesn't think her sister would appreciate the gesture._

_Once she's fully undressed, Junko hugs herself, but stops once she realizes she's smearing the blood coating her hands and arms on her body. "Mukuro-chan," she croaks, trembling. "Can you wash me...? I-I can't..."_

_"Yes, of course." Mukuro takes Junko by the hand and leads her into the shower booth._

_Mukuro cleans the mud from her hands and arms before starting to wash Junko. After she's reasonably clean, she scrubs the blood off of Junko's body, trying her best not to be too rough. Junko remains completely motionless during all of this._

_She washes her sister's hair as well, rinsing it thoroughly before applying the shampoo._

_All in all, it takes about twenty minutes until they're done. Mukuro thought it would all take much longer -- there was just so much blood -- but Junko looks cleaner than she ever has afterwards. Mukuro hasn't ever felt cleaner herself. It makes sense, considering they always use the sink in one of the normal bathrooms here to wash themselves. The sink doesn't cost any money. The shower doesn't cost a lot of money either, but it's still a luxury they can't afford. Their money is better spent on food._

_After they're done, she wraps Junko up in one of the big, fluffy towels Daisuke brought for them and rubs her dry, especially the hair. It wouldn't do for Junko to get a cold or anything after they have to leave here and go outside again._

_She briefly wonders where they're going to go, but dismisses the thought. Making sure Junko feels better is more important right now._

_First though, she takes the bloody knife out of her backpack and cleans it as well. She might throw it away later, but for now it's probably a good idea to remove the blood. When it's clean, she lays it next to her backpack._

_She takes some of their clean clothes out of their backpacks, and puts their dirty ones inside. They can do laundry somewhere else. She believes her own clothes are caked with mud enough not to be suspicious, but she doesn't want Daisuke to spot the blood on Junko's._

_"We should get dressed, Junko-chan." Mukuro says._

_"Okay..." Junko mumbles._

_Mukuro dresses herself quickly. While Junko is still dressing herself, she makes sure there is no trace of blood left in the shower. The sponges all have blood on them, and they're impossible to get clean entirely, so she puts all of them but one in her backpack too. She hopes Daisuke won't ask about the missing sponges._

_Afterwards, she takes the remaining sponge and tries to remove the blood from Junko's shoes. They both only have one pair and she can't make her sister walk around without them, so putting that off until later is impossible._

_"Here." She presents them to her otherwise fully dressed sister once they're clean enough._

_Junko mutters something, and puts them on._

_Mukuro looks around. She doesn't think there's anything else left to take care of. "I'm going to take care of the other stuff later, okay?" There is no answer. "Can I do anything else, Junko-chan?"_

_After a short silence, Junko looks up. "What's wrong with you?" She asks, her lips trembling like she's about to cry. "After that stuff back there... how can you just... how can you..."_

_"Junko-chan-"_

_"I killed someone." Junko whispers. "Why aren't- aren't you saying anything...?"_

_"Junko-chan... I'm sorry." Mukuro says softly. "You... you shouldn't have been the one to do it. I should've been the one to kill that guy... I'm so sorry..."_

_Junko looks at her with wide eyes. "... What?"_

_"You shouldn't have to go through stuff like this... you shouldn't have to avenge yourself... that's what I'm here for. I'm the older sister." Mukuro swallows down a sob. "I'm so sorry, Junko-chan. I'm so sorry. I'm-"_

_"I liked it."_

_Mukuro stares at her sister. "You... what...?"_

_"I liked it." Junko repeats, sporting a smile that looks like a grimace. "I was scared when I went there... but I was too angry to care. When I stabbed him for the first time, I felt sick, but... but then... I couldn't stop. Didn't stop till I felt sick again..."_

_"Junko-chan..." Mukuro breathes, unable to believe what she's hearing._

_"When he was on top of me and I thought- thought that he'd... I felt so much despair, but..." Junko's smile morphes into a furious snarl. "It was too much. That's why he had to die. He made me realize I still don't know enough about despair and... that's why. That's why I killed him. Not 'cause I was scared or wanted revenge."_

_"I... I don't understand..." Mukuro whispers. "But Junko-chan... even if that's true, he still tried to..."_

_"I brought him back home to begin with!" Junko blurts out. "'Cause... 'cause I was bored. 'Cause I was feeling angry that I never killed mom and dad. I noticed him staring at me while I was walking around in the city and told him I wanted to play, but... I wanted to kill him. And..." She giggles hysterically. "And then I dropped the stupid knife, 'cause I got too scared. But when I came back after you stabbed him, he couldn't move at all. Just kept groaning. Killing him was easy."_

_Mukuro stares at her, her mouth opening uselessly, no words coming forth._

_"You always thought the despair stuff was a joke." Junko mutters. "I know you did. Even when I was talking about killing mom and dad, you thought I wasn't really serious. You never took me seriously at all, but Mukuro-chan... do you get it now? I'm not normal. I'm messed up in the head."_

_"Junko-chan..."_

_Junko giggles, but there are tears burning in her eyes now. "Are you gonna run away now, Mukuro-chan? Can you really still love me after knowing I'm like this?"_

_Despite all her shock, seeing Junko about to cry is enough to make everything else unimportant. That's why Mukuro simply says: "Yes."_

_Junko blinks. "... What?"_

_"I don't care about any of that." Mukuro says. "I love you, Junko-chan. I'll always love you. Please don't be sad, okay? I won't leave you. I promise."_

_"But..." Junko's face is contorting in shock, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I'm... I killed somebody... I'm bad..."_

_"So what?" Mukuro embraces her sister. "I don't care. That makes me bad too, right?" She pulls back, smiling at her sister. "We're the Despair Sisters, aren't we? We're both messed up."_

_Junko's shocked expression turns into one of anger. She pushes Mukuro away. "You're a liar!" She yells. "There's no way you're like me! You're gonna leave me. I know you are!"_

_"Junko-chan, I promise I won't-"_

_"I don't believe you!" Junko gives her a venomous glare. "You're just... you're just saying that stuff. You don't believe me about despair, do you?! You're just like everyone else! You don't get it! You don't get it!"_

_"I don't understand the despair stuff yet," Mukuro admits. "But I don't care. It's important to you, so it's important to me too. I'd do anything for you. Do you want me to kill someone? Is that gonna convince you? I'll do it! I promise!"_

_Junko looks unsure for a moment, but then she looks angry again. "You're a liar," she says quietly. "You're a liar. You hate me, don't you? You think I'm crazy and bad and messed up and-"_

_A knock on the door interrupts Junko's tirade._

_"Everything alright in there?" Daisuke asks. "I heard yelling."_

_Mukuro stares at the door, then back to Junko. "Let me handle this, okay?" She asks her sister, who nods sullenly, still glaring at her._

_She opens the door, looking up to the man. "Oh, you're done," he says. "You know, you two can stay here for the night if you want, but please stop yelling, okay?" There is a short pause. "Err... did you hear me, Mukuro-chan?"_

_"Yes," Mukuro says. She looks to Junko, who refuses eye contact, tears still burning in her eyes. An idea forms in her head. She hesitates for a moment, before speaking again. "Daisuke-san, can you help me with something?"_

_"Sure, I guess. What's up?"_

_"... It's a secret. Can you please close the door?"_

_"Err... okay?" Although confused, Daisuke fulfills her request._

_"I have to whisper it in your ear. It's a really big secret."_

_Daisuke gets down on one knee, chuckling. "This better be good, Mukuro-chan." He says._

_Her hand moving down into her pocket to grab the knife there, Mukuro leans forward. "Thanks for always being so nice to us."_

_As she murmurs the last word into his ear, her hand shoots up._

_Daisuke's body seems to freeze as the knife buries itself into his throat. Mukuro pulls it back and stabs again. And again. And again. There is some resistance, but not enough to stop her. Blood drips down onto her face, but she pays it no mind._

_It only takes a few seconds until Daisuke's body slumps forward. Mukuro steps to the side, letting it fall unhindered. She glances down at the corpse dispassionately, wondering if killing a person is supposed to be this easy. It can't always be that easy, can it?_

_He gave Junko and her two candy bars just the other day, for nothing in return. Now he's dead._

_She glances at Junko, who is watching her with wide eyes. "Did I prove it, Junko-chan?" Mukuro asks, her voice laced with nervousness. "I'm messed up too, see?"_

_Junko doesn't respond, merely continuing to stare at her._

_Mukuro uses the sink to wash the blood off her face -- there isn't too much of it. And barely anything on her clothes, either. Most of the blood dripped onto the floor. She cleans the knife as well and puts it back into her pocket. When she turns around, Junko is sitting in front of Daisuke's corpse, staring at it._

_"Daisuke-san looks so shocked." Junko mumbles. She looks up to Mukuro. "I liked him..."_

_Mukuro winces. That's something she hasn't considered. "I'm sorry, Junko-chan. I should've picked someone-"_

_"No!" Junko cuts her off. "No," she says, more softly. "This... this was good. You did good."_

_"I'm glad..." Mukuro feels relief at Junko's words._

_"His expression looks kinda funny." Junko giggles. "Like he's in... in despair..."_

_"It's not surprising." Mukuro says. "It's not normal to be killed by a little girl, I guess."_

_"You're not just a little girl, Mukuro-chan. You're the second sister of Despair!" Junko declares, a big grin on her face. "Right after me! I'm the princess of Despair, so I guess that means you're the second princess. But you're more like my knight!"_

_Mukuro returns Junko's grin, overjoyed that her sister is finally feeling better. "We should leave, my princess of Despair," she suggests, holding out her hand. "Even if we're kids, getting caught next to a dead body'll make us look suspicious..."_

_Junko sighs, but takes her hand. "Let's go back to the park. I wanna lie on the grass again."_

_"As you command, my princess." Mukuro agrees._

_"Very good, my knight!" Junko giggles, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. Mukuro follows her example._

_They leave the internet café while holding hands. It's a shame they can never go back there, but there are plenty of other places._

_When they arrive in the park, the sun is already rising._

_They hug as they lay down on the grass, enjoying each other's warmth._

_"Hey, Mukuro-chan...?" Junko asks after they've gotten comfortable._

_"Yes?"_

_"... I'm sorry for punching you."_

_"It's fine." Mukuro strokes her sister's hair. "You were upset. I understand."_

_"I just..." Junko presses her face into her side. Her next words are muffled, but Mukuro hears them clearly. "You're the only one I'd never hurt, y'know? I'm sorry..."_

_"It doesn't count, Junko-chan." Mukuro assures her. "You were really upset. Let's forget about that, okay?"_

_Junko is silent for a moment. "Muku-chan..." She whispers. "I love you so much. You don't mind if I'm bad. You really don't, do you?"_

_"I don't mind. I'll always be there for you. No matter what." Mukuro answers._

_"... Did you like it? Killing Daisuke-san?"_

_Mukuro ponders the question. "Not really," she says eventually. "But I didn't mind. I'd kill anyone for you, Junko-chan."_

_"Doesn't that make me worse though...?" Junko mutters. "I liked killing that guy..."_

_"You felt sick too though, didn't you?" Mukuro asks._

_"Yeah... only a bit though..."_

_"Then I'm worse." Mukuro concludes. "Because I felt nothing at all. I didn't feel sick. And who cares how we feel about it? Daisuke-san stays dead either way." She pauses. "Also, Daisuke-san was kind and never did anything bad. The guy you killed deserved it. So I'm worse."_

_"Doesn't it bother you that you killed someone who didn't deserve it?" Junko asks._

_"No." Mukuro answers without hesitation._

_"You really didn't care at all, did you? You thought of it so quickly too..." Junko giggles. "You really are bad, sis. We both are." There is a short pause. "Would you really kill anyone for me?"_

_"Yes." Mukuro answers, again without hesitation._

_"... Why?"_

_Mukuro glances at her sister. "Isn't it obvious? Because I love you. Because you're the prettiest, smartest, most important person in the world. Because..."_ _She hugs Junko tightly, kissing her sister's forehead, and her voice drops to a whisper. "Because you're the only one who matters."_

_Junko starts shivering. "I thought you'd hate me... I was so scared..." Her voice breaks, and she starts sniffling. "I'm sorry for not believing in you, Mukuro-chan... you matter too, y'know? To me."_

_"Junko-chan..." Mukuro feels her heart skip a beat at her sister's words._

_"Don't leave me." Junko suddenly says. "Don't ever leave me, Mukuro-chan. Promise me."_

_"I'll never leave you. I promise."_

_"And I'll always be your most important person, right? Promise me."_

_"You'll always be my most important person. I promise."_

_Junko relaxes. "Good," she murmurs. "And... I promise too..."_

_Mukuro kisses her sister on the cheek. "I love you, Junko-chan." She says._

_"I love you too, Mukuro-chan." Junko rolls onto her, her shiny blue eyes looking into Mukuro's. "We're the only ones who matter, right?" She asks. "So it's okay if we wanna hurt other people, isn't it? No one else matters."_

_"We can hurt whoever we want," Mukuro agrees, smiling gently at her precious baby sister. "No one else matters."_

_"I think I wanna hurt more people." Junko says quietly. "But not now... it's... like... it feels good, but also bad... y'know? I gotta think more..."_

_"If that's what you think." Mukuro replies._

_"Let's find a new home first. We can think more about it after that." Junko suggests._

_"Okay," Mukuro agrees. "Whatever you want."_

_She doesn't care whether Junko wants to hurt people or not. Whatever makes her happy. Of course, they can't just go around killing people. Someone would notice sooner or later. She hopes she can convince her sister of that, in case Junko insists on killing more people... well, no use thinking about that now._

_She sighs softly, just enjoying her sister's embrace._

_Once Junko's fallen asleep on top of her, Mukuro can't help but stare at her face._

_Junko looks so calm like this. So peaceful._

_Mukuro wants nothing more for her than to be happy. She'll do anything to make that happen. She'll kill hundreds of people, if that's what it takes. She doesn't care if that makes her a monster, because Junko's opinion is the only one that matters._

_Junko is the only one who matters._

_No one will ever come between them. And if anyone dares..._

_"I'll kill them." Mukuro whispers._

* * *

 


End file.
